A rap, a rap, a rappity-rap-rap!Here’s that rap that Marty Mark dropped at the renaming of a playground for Adam “MCA” Yauch of the Beastie Boys. It’s based pretty heavily on the group’s “An Open Letter to NYC”: Brownstones, wate...

Vallone sits in with the bandApparently the oft-mocked post of borough president is now the job that all of the cool kids want, and if that is the only criteria for taking the job, we're not sure how much cooler it gets than h...

Boobirds come out for BloombergWe guess Mayor Michael Bloomberg tired himself out marching in the Rockaways St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday. How else to explain why he didn't march in the St. Pat's for All Parade in Sunnysi...

Political odds & ends from last week• He's not even running for mayor, but that didn't stop New York State Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long from throwing a little praise Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr.'s way last week. Long met...

Mittman campaign not quite wrapped upIt was a Quixotic undertaking from the very beginning, but Robert Mittman probably never thought his bid for Congress last year would have lingering effects. Mittman surprised everyone when he came...

Queens GOP rift could lead to BOE shake-upIt looks like the long-running rift in the Queens County Republican Party is starting to have implications citywide, most notably down at the Board of Elections. For those of you not familiar with ...

Vallone in unfamiliar territoryTalk about taking it straight to your opponent's backyard. Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. is on a quest to become the next borough president of Queens, and has been the hardest-working man (or woman...

It's all about the race at State of the BoroWe here at Pol Position know it would be downright rude for candidates to talk about their campaigns for Queens borough president just one week after Helen Marshall's final State of the Borough add...

The Divine Miss M(oney)Now that the election season is in full swing, it's time for the candidates to open their hand and hope that you'll open your wallet and fork over some of your hard-earned cash to help fund their d...

Holiday season bleeds into campaign seasonWith the holidays finally behind us – we know we can’t possibly stomach another one of our signature Night Train Express eggnog concoctions - the campaign season is officially underway. And a coupl...

Squadron considering public advocate runWith the presidential election and a few exciting local races behind us, it’s time to turn our attention to next year’s citywide races, which are sure to feature some big names in New York City pol...

PR machine has a break downBorough President Helen Marshall just can’t catch a break. Over the summer, there were a lot of news reports critical of Marshall’s presence in the borough and her overall job performance. One part...

A little self-congratulatory back pattingOkay The Parkside Group we get it, you win big! With another election in the books, we received a standard email from political consultants The Parkside Group touting their clients’ big victories o...

The Kremlin said on Friday a U.S. decision to lift some restrictions on arms deliveries to Syrian rebels was risky because weapons might end up in the hands of "terrorists". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call that such a scenario, if it came to pass, would pose a threat to the Middle East and to Russian forces in Syria. Commenting on U.S-Russian efforts to strike a deal to facilitate the safe passage of Syrian rebels from eastern Aleppo, Peskov said the Kremlin hoped an agreement could be reached, but said talks on the subject were complex and kept faltering due to decisions taken by the United States.

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - Hundreds of men from eastern Aleppo have gone missing after leaving rebel-held areas, the United Nations' human rights office said on Friday, voicing deep concern that government forces could be mistreating them. U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville also said there were reports that two rebel militias -- Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front, and the Abu Amara Battalion -- had during the last two weeks abducted and killed an unknown number of civilians in the city who had asked armed groups to leave their neighborhoods to save the lives of civilians. Syrian government forces pressed on with their offensive in Aleppo on Thursday night and into Friday with ground fighting and air strikes, Reuters witnesses, rebels and a monitoring group said, part of a push to retake all of the city's besieged rebel-held east.

Before Syria's ruinous civil war struck Aleppo, the country's largest city was a busy commercial powerhouse and a proud historic center - its long heritage on display in ancient landmarks still used by modern day traders, travelers or worshippers. The rebels hoped their march into Aleppo marked the beginning of the end for President Bashar al-Assad, while the government in Damascus pledged to swiftly drive them out.